How volunteering links to college student well-being via friend support and self-efficacy

Abstract Well-being is an important part of positive psychology research, and the level of well-being of college students is related to their growth and development direction.This study examines the relationship between volunteering and well-being, with a focus on the mediating roles of friend support and self-efficacy. A total of 1149 students from a university in Shaanxi Province were selected as the research objects, and the self-report scale, friend support scale, general self-efficacy scale and volunteering scale were used to measure the data, and the data were statistically analyzed and analyzed by SPSS26.0. The results align with a model in which volunteering relates to well-being, friend support, and self-efficacy. Friend support and self-efficacy mediated the relationship between volunteering and well-being, both separately and sequentially (chain mediation). The chain mediating model is consistent with a theoretical pathway in which volunteering is associated with higher well-being via expanded social networks and stronger personal confidence. This study provides empirical evidence for universities to utilize volunteer programs that specifically foster friend support networks and self-efficacy training to maximize student well-being.